A guy (we’ll call him L) at work today was talking during lunch about Howard Stern. He made the statement that Howard Stern got as rich as he is because he is the highest rated talk show host in the country. I objected to his claim, and he retaliated by claiming that Howard Stern has over 175 million listeners.
Everyone at the table froze. I began by asking everyone at the table if they listened to Howard Stern, and everyone said that they did not, even though a few have subscriptions to Sirius. I then started explaining that there are only 303 million people in the United States. You could see the fear in L’s eyes begin to show as he realized how dumb his argument was, however he continued to defend his statement by claiming that a superior at Circuit City stated it as a fact when going over sales of Sirius radios.
Needless to say, everyone at the table sat in awe as L explained why he thought that 175 million listeners was even possible, and that because his superior was convinced of it, he believed it. He then tried to convince me that Howard Stern was also available on the standard radio stations… just not in our area. Maybe he didn’t see the news when Howard left radio to join Sirius. I may be wrong, but his site doesn’t list any affiliates other than Sirius.
Sirius has just under 5 million subscribers. They estimate that for each subscription, there is an average of 2 listeners. Through an independent study, they found that around 58% of all subscribers regularly tune in to listen. Based on estimates, there are just over 5 million listeners to the Howard Stern show each week. Compared with Rush Limbaugh’s ratings of 13.5 million listener minimum each week, I may be wrong, but Howard Stern is not the highest rated show.
I have called L out before, but this one was awesome. We’ll be having fun with this one at least until he admits it was a stupid thing to say, much less believe.
I know that there are instances where something way out in left field may be easy to accept as truth, and I don’t approve of having this much fun at just anyone’s expense when it comes to being gullible In this case, however, L was either pulling the number out of thin air, or he was dumb enough to be that gullible. In L’s case, he has always given me the impression that he is fairly intellectual, so that evidence suggests that he made 175,000,000 listeners up to make a point.
87% of all statistics used in arguments are completely made up, and we just need L to own up to it.
If I am wrong about anything I post on here, let me know. I’ll admit it as soon as I see the evidence.
Sirius actually has 7.5 million listeners and will reach 8 million subscribers a the end of the year. Stern got all that money, because he has the most loyal listeners in the industry. If you say that 4 million of those hardcore listeners signed up for Stern then that more then pays for his contract and that does not include the advertising that is on his show. His show is better then ever now that it is on Sirius. I would much rather listen to Stern’s squeky image outside of the radio then a drug addict like Rush Limbaugh and his wacked views!!!
Learn some punctuation… I can barely make out what you just said. Rush Limbaugh actually has the most loyal listeners in the industry. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have the number 1 rated show in the industry. As far as the comment about Rush Limbaugh’s “wacked views”, that is your uneducated opinion. If you think Stern is better on Sirius now that he isn’t burdened by the regulations of the FCC any longer, you must have the same distasteful vocabulary. I don’t understand how anyone can tune in and listen to that same old garbage every day, much less, pay for it.
It is obvious you have never heard the Howard Stern Show, because it not about bad language or obscenities. It is a much more relax atmosphere where people and guest can feel comfortable and be honest. I think Rush Limbaugh was very rude to call mix people “half-african americans”. That was really mature and uneducated. At least Stern is honest and shows equallity. The “Rush Limbaugh” view is dying a slow death and is a thing of the past. People are realizing what a fraud he really is.
Honestly, as I was thinking about your comments, I realized that the purpose of my post had nothing to do with who is the best host. No matter how skewed your view of the world is, or my view for that matter, the fact is that Howard Stern does not have the highest rated show in the country. His ratings do not include 175,000,000 listeners, like L said he did. I know better than to think that everyone enjoys the Rush Limbaugh show, but the fact is that he has the highest ratings, and as much as you might want to deny it, it is a fact.
You’re right, I don’t listen to Howard Stern. I have seen his show on television and changed the channel fairly quickly because what I see is nearly always inappropriate for my eyes, much less my children’s eyes. On top of that, when I have been able to view it for more than a few minutes, the material they talk about is inappropriate for my ears, as well. I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all in that studio. If you feel like you can feel relaxed and comfortable in that atmosphere, have at it, but don’t expect everyone else to feel the same.
I’m not really surprised to hear you say Rush is a fraud. On the same token, you probably don’t listen to Rush, though you’ll try to say you have, and you found your argument about him calling them “half-african americans” from some liberal blog out there in cyberspace. Most of the time, those quotes are taken far out of context, like the recent comment about the one troop he was talking about that made national headlines.
I really don’t think that “mature” and “uneducated” go together very well. Equality only has one L, as well. You might want to type your next reply in Word, and run spelling and grammar check before you post it.
On a lighter note, I didn’t want to fight over who was the best, but I stated that fact using actual ratings. I was just making fun of a guy at work who tried to say that over half of the nation listened to a stupid show. Get a life.
Brandon, I’ve found through the years (and I’ve got a few on you), that those who yell the most loudly in print are often the most grammatically incorrect and vocabulary-challenged — hence, their attraction to intellectual giants like Stern. (BTW, I have no data, empirical or otherwise, with which to support that statement.)
I loved reading your original post. Just picturing some guy going overboard in support of such a number is hilarious. That example alone illustrates how easily the American public can be swayed by spin. I fear that we are no longer thinking people supporting real leadership. More to the point, our new “leaders” are groomed sound-bite artists and we (the people) are devouring and memorizing the sound-bites, as opposed to understanding what prompted them.
Again, no data. Just a sick little gut feeling. But, I’ll jump on out there and say that 175 million folks agree with me! Enjoyed it.
How very very funny of you B. I thought we were tight but i guess not as tight as I thought. I told you and everyone else many times that the Sirius rep told us that and that I did NOT make that up. I am hurt, deeply hurt that you would post such lies on the internet. You best watch your back – what goes around come around. When you least expect it – I’ll be there. I learned Kung Fu by the age of 4 and Jew jitsu by the age of 7. I once fought off 76 different muggers and know 9654 different karate chops. My hands are lethal registered weapons and you WILL pay for these remarks.
Very funny, Jeff…
I’ll remember to avoid debates with you, Brandon. Furthermore, over 88% of my statistics are pulled out of my shorts.
This was highly amusing!
Jeff brought this up again today, and we couldn’t remember the number of listeners L had claimed… HILARIOUS! It’s amazing how even back in 2006 we were talking about the government not fulfilling their responsibilities even with Bush in office. I can’t stand liberals who always come at me with “Where were you when Bush was in office?” I was stating my disapproval with Bush, but even if I wasn’t… I’ve learned from my past, and have turned around. What’s your excuse since you were against the Bush policies, but now you’re all for the Obama policies that really haven’t changed course since Bush left office? Sounds like somebody isn’t being consistent…
Melanie, you’re right! I’ve verified it… 175,000,000 people agree with you. It took a really long time to do that survey by myself.